As a multi-specialty health facility in Lekki, Lagos is commissioned today, the Chief Executive officer (CEO) of Diamed Centre Lekki, Dr. Abiola Olorode has said the private hospital, is fully equipped to respond to present-day medical care needs of Nigerians.
Olorode who made this known at a prelaunch media briefing similarly, reasoned that there would be no need for patients in Nigeria to travel out, as is the current trend, to seek treatment abroad. According to her, the newly established facility represents a significant step forward in Nigerian healthcare needs.
Strategically located in the heart of Lekki area of Lagos State it boasts of the first-ever 3D mammogram machine in Nigeria. The centre is also a one-stop shop for Nigerians seeking high-quality and evidence-based medical care.
Olorode, a passionate medical professional who trained as a physician in Dublin and thereafter practiced both in the United Kingdom (UK) and in the United States (U.S), said her desire to open the medical facility was driven by the desire to improve diagnostics and preventive care in Nigeria.
The facility, which is scheduled for an official launch today, is built basically to improve health outcomes of healthcare services in Nigeria. With modern architecture and cutting-edge medical technology, she said the centre promises to set a new benchmark in healthcare delivery in Nigeria.
A tour of the facility showed that it has specialised divisions for neurology, orthopaedics, cardiology, and oncology, which are among other salient features. Each department is fitted with state-of-heart equipment and staffed by highly skilled medical professionals trained both locally and internationally.
She said, “We have put in place the first 3D mammography machine, known as the Dimensions Mammography System in Nigeria. The new technology will help deliver a higher state of care by providing enhanced images to help detect breast cancer when it is in the earliest, most treatable stages.
“3D Mammography will improve our abilLekki multi-specialty centre debuts, sets to curb medical tourism ity to better detect dangerous cancers, and at the same time reduce the likelihood of further testing for suspicious findings that turn out not to be cancer.”
Highlighting the challenges she witnessed in the Nigerian healthcare system, particularly the lack of access to advanced diagnostic tools, Olorode said: “This often led to misdiagnosis and delayed treatment. The Diamed Centre addresses this by offering state-of-the-art equipment, including the first-ever 3D mammogram machine in Nigeria, allowing for earlier detection of breast cancer.”
According to her, a lack of advanced medical tools and over-reliance on symptom-based treatments are key drivers of medical tourism. “This unfortunately reduces doctors to just symptom-based treatments, which can lead to misdiagnosis and unnecessary medications.
“ She said that if Nigeria must reduce medical tourism, the healthcare providers must adopt evidence-based tools. “That’s one of the things that made me think of it because if you look at this, you can get all the state-of-the-art technology to do evidence-based management of patients.
